Probation records S.W. police court pre-1940

[mustfindthem]

I haven't been on this site for a while but I'm always hopeful. Tricky one this one. I have the details of someone mentioned in a Barnados Home record dated 1940.
It mentions someone (who is almost certainly deceased)
It says .....address known to Probation Officer S.W. Police Court (this would be London).
It mentions that he was in the RASC as a motor mechanic and it gives his service number. I have found 3 entries in other records referring to the man with this service number. That hasn't helped me at all in finding out anything about him. ie DOB would be brilliant.
I can't for the life of me find how to get hold of RASC service records so I wondered about tracing the court record of when he was obviously in trouble. Otherwise, why would a probation officer know his address?
So my major question is....
Where could I find records for the S.W. Police Court? It must be pre-1940.
I've crashed around National Archives but so far no luck.
Many thanks in advance.

[KGarrad]

For anybody still serving in the Forces after 1920, all service records are still with the MOD.

If you decide you want them, they will cost £30 from:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records

Have you tried looking for a Birth Registration on FreeBMD?

[mustfindthem]

Hi
Requests for service records require a death certificate. I have no idea when he died.
I have no idea when he was born either which is nil help.
All I know is his service number and that he must have been naughty because he had a probation officer assigned to him - hence my thoughts that if I could get hold of the court records for when he was tried I might find out his DOB.
This is for my nephew-in-law - his father, now deceased, was in a Barnados home. We got the father's birth cert. but his father's name was left blank. So we sent off for the Barnados records and that's when we found out the name of his father. It was written in a report explaining why Barnados accepted the child. And said the child's father's address was known by his probation officer.
Thanks for your ideas.

[KGarrad]

If you could post his name, maybe some RootsChatters could help find him?

[jim1]

I would think that his Probation Record will be closed to the public under the 100 year rule.

[mustfindthem]

His name is John Reginald West (he was also known as Harold Cedric Jones - though I think that is nil help) and he was 743155 RASC 20th motor mechanic. I've found 3 entries for him in journals in Jan 1926, July 1927 and Nov 1927 when he was a company driver. The child was born in 1931. The mother was born in 1910 and died young in 1942. I'm approximating that maybe Mr West was say about the same age as the mother but being a driver in RASC in 1926 suggests that maybe he was older than the mother. I have seen the John Reginald West born 20 June 1897 died 24 Oct 1980 but have absolutely no idea whether this is the Mr West I seek. Though if it is him this means he was 30 when a driver which sort of seems about right. Maybe......maybe not. If Mr West was alive today he would be well over 100 which somehow seems unlikely. If only I could see those probation records I bet his date of birth would be in them. Grrrrr.
The child was born in Plumstead. Various other family activities took place in the Woolwich/Wandsworth neck of the woods.

[jim1]

WW1 Merchant Navy medal index cards 1918 has the one you found listed. It says he was born 1897.
FindMyPast has this & also his service record but what this will tell I couldn't say.

[mustfindthem]

Dear Jim, thanks for that. Yes, I did find the record you refer to. And this ties up with the birth/death of a Mr West I did find. But it doesn't prove to me that it is 'my' Mr West. It's really tricky this one. I wish I could think of way of getting the service record but that requires a death cert. which I don't have because I don't know when he died. I was tempted to get the death certificate I have found and send it off with a request - they will either send back the details or say - sorry, your death certificate is not the same Mr West. Hope that makes sense. I could try just writing to them and say I don't know when he died but I do know his service number. But I suspect I would just get back an auto reply saying - sorry, death cert. or we can't do. I can't be the 1st person to require service records but not know the date of death.

[KGarrad]

The problem is that the MOD release different information:

1. If he is still alive, only he himself can get the info.
2. If he died within the past 25 years, only limited information is released.
3. If he died more than 25 years ago, then you get most, if not all, information.

That's why you need to provide evidence of death.